First time attending Santa Clara First Baptist's annual Bethlehem (Christmas nativity) production,…read morewhich runs 12/11-12/15 from 6:30-9pm. They transform their church parking lot into ancient village of Bethlehem (a lot of sand!) with real actors, animals, activity booths showing life at the time. Free entry and free hot chocolate. We arrived after 8pm so got to check out a few booths and watched the last re-enactment (once every half hour). Overall neat immersive experience, great for families. If parking lot at high school is full, street parking in neighborhood is available.

We used to come here every year until pandemic hit. So good to be back!…read moreCame here on a Friday night and it wasn't too crowded. Love how they make it like you traveled back in time and experience the night when Jesus was born! It's such a great production and it's our favorite family tradition Last day for this year is 12/16 Monday! Highly recommended!

I grew up attending the theater and I consider myself very lucky. Community Little Theater in…read moreAuburn, Maine is still around today. I had two brothers who both performed in the theater and one of them is still teaching theater arts now. I usually attend the Broadway musicals at the San Jose Performing Arts Center a couple of times every year and I go alone. John is not a fan of musicals. But he agreed to go to a play last year in SF with me and he enjoyed it. So, when we saw the synopsis of "Running After Shadows," we decided to check it out. The second I walked inside, City Lights Theater reminded me of those wonderful memories I had as a teenager at Community Little Theater. City Lights is smaller than I'm used to but I loved its compact, intimate space. Every seat seems to be a good one and comfortable as well! I loved that the manager spoke to the audience before the show and that they pick a non-profit to donate to that matches with the theme of the play. They also have a little get together after every performance. They have refreshments and you have the chance to talk to the actors. We didn't stay afterwards but maybe next time. John surprised me by wanting to get tickets for the next show. Maybe I can get him to try musicals one day...

It's All an Act…read more Foreword: So, it turns out I kind of like plays. I mean, I recall enjoying watching theater friends perform at school and college back in the day, but I've never actually gone out to see a real live play with professional actors. Anyway, if you're on the fence about coming to see one, then you should definitely do it once. And if you really dig it, do it twice. :) OK, onto the review... The City Lights Theater Company has been supporting local actors and theater makers for forty-five years (ca. 1982) now, and have been in this space since 1991--despite a looming threat from developers... The Good: *Very small intimate venue of ±100 seat theater. There is no bad seat in the house, as even in the back row you still feel like you're practically front row. *Tickets are fairly inexpensive at ±$50-80/ea with season passes available. There's also afternoon matinee shows available for us old farts. *Staff was very friendly *They have a small snack bar and even serve wine *A chance to interact with the performers at the end of the show. *We watched "Running After Shadows" by Vincent Terrell Durham and it was excellent. Great story telling, fantastic acting, and it takes the crowd on a wild range of emotions. The Meh: *Street Parking only but it's free on the weekends. The Ugly: *They must start cutting onions in there at some point, cuz I swear my eyes started watering for no reason. That's right. No reason whatsoever. Conclusion: Intimate venue with great storytelling means a great time out by all. Good spot for a date nite or afternoon (see aforementioned "old farts" mention above).

Wife got two free tickets to this performance by Rhiannon Giddens. Who? Checked on the internet…read moreand thought she sounded decent on YouTube videos. Only problem was that it was Friday at 730pm at the Louis B Mayer theater, as in Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Wife bought the tickets expecting me to drive all that way in rush hour traffic, and find the theater at night in unfamiliar surroundings? Yes. Why do you think she married me? Left our house in Sunnyvale at 6:15pm, and 7 miles, 40 minutes and 30+ traffic signals on El Camino Real reached Santa Clara University. LBM theater address is 500 El Camino Real, but that's the address for the whole Santa Clara University. The theater is on the opposite end of the campus, at least a half mile from El Camino Real. All nearby street parking taken, with on campus street parking restricted to vehicles with SCU parking permits. The central parking garage is located near the stadium, but that was completely across campus. Closer parking garage at the corner of Alviso and Franklin St. Take El Camino Real, right on Lafayette, left on Franklin. Took 10 minutes of DWA to find it, at night. Only spaces near the garage entrance are compact spots. Backed into a compact spot, so named as next to a concrete wall. So you are pulling out blind. $5 to park, with you having to enter your license plate number on the receipt. Guess this is to prevent cheapskates from loaning the ticket to a friend for reuse. Parking free after 8pm, but wouldn't you know it, but the show starts at 7:30pm. 5 minute walk from the 4 story parking garage to the theater, the entrance of which is not visible from the street. The usual bag check at the entrance, with hand searches, just like at Disneyland. Sign says no food nor drinks permitted in theater. Ticket electronically scanned. Wife wisely goes to the bathroom before the play starts. Inside a very modern theater, full house, with seating 395-525 depending on configuration, with movable seats up front. 20 rows of seats, two aisles, with stairs going down, and hand railings on the side. Stadium seating at the bleacher area, with your knees at head height of the people in front of you. Great panoramic viewing. Got to stand up to let people get by. One poor dude gets stuck behind a lady wearing a fedora hat the entire show. Francesco Turrisi plays the piano, drums and accordian, while Rhiannon Giddens plays the violin and the banjo. Bluegrass music, Irish ballad music, folk music, instrumentals, and Rhiannon singing. Rhiannon featured on Ken Burns country music, and performed for the Obamas at the White House. Her songs tell stories of historic black womanhood and survival. If it's good enough for Obama, it's good enough for me. Intermission the wife races to the bathrooms, while I take my time. Men's bathroom has 5 urinals and 2 toilets, with line backed up a dozen deep in no time. Women's restrooms have even longer lines. Assume 7 stalls for the women, or at 3 minutes per use, 49 women can be accommodated in the 20 minute intermission. The other 150 women are just going to have to hold it for the 2 hour performance, as the theater was designed for university students age 18-21 with strong bladders. Get back to my seat, just as the college age ladies behind me, remove their bare feet off the top of my seatback. Some people are still learning proper manners. End of the show, get back to the parking garage. Drive out just as the person next to me is backing out, hidden behind a concrete wall between us. Just did avoid meeting by accident, and no it was not an Asian woman driver!

Great small auditorium venue for comedy shows, drama and public speaking engagements. You can hear…read morethe stage and see well from pretty much any seating location in the place and it's a good venue as well for family events. Really nice!

The Sound of Music (Broadway San Jose) --…read more We saw this yesterday and it was beautiful. The sets were absolutely stunning -- genuinely took my breath away a few times -- and the singing was extraordinary. So much talent on that stage. If you know the movie by heart (I do), there are a few differences. A couple of songs that aren't in the film, and "I Have Confidence" doesn't appear at all. There are some small changes to the story too, but nothing that took away from the show -- a few of the twists I actually liked better this way. One tip: take an Uber or Lyft. Getting into the parking garage took forever because there's only one lane in, and someone at the front couldn't work the machine and held everyone up for about fifteen minutes. Not the theater's fault, but worth knowing. Wonderful show. We'll be back.

Came here for a comedy show--Max Amini…read more Can't speak about parking because we took an Uber to the venue nor did we purchase food. The ushers were friendly and helped get us to our seats. The theater is clean, a good size though its architecture isn't particularly striking or memorable.

Went to Musson because my theater makeup color had been discontinued. The salesperson at the front…read more(I forgot to get her name, 0375) spent a lot of time helping me find the closest shade to it - quite a challenge given that a lot of the brown skin tones are no longer available from any company. We were able to find something that'll work! Will definitely go back for future makeup needs instead of ordering online. Please support local theater and stores!

This place rocks!…read more When I do design gigs outside of work, they are always happy to help me out. Need gel or gobos? Need paint? Don't know what you need? Call Musson, they are all knowledgeable about the stuff they sell. Got questions about your venue? They probably installed the equipment. They have great prices and work with the manufacturers to get your stuff in a prompt fashion if they don't have it in stock. Need a demo? Call them, they'll set it up. They can set you up with stuff for your disco party at home or your opera in the park. Small or big they can handle it. Wow, I sound like a car salesman. Bottom line: Call them, they'll help you out with your theatrical needs. What they don't do: I haven't found it.

California Theater is a gorgeous old historical theater with distinguishing beauty and exquisite…read moredetails. It's the type of place you go to where you spend just as much time ogling over the venue as you do the show itself! I went there for a film festival and loved it. The location is also pure perfection because it is within the same block as several restaurants and bars for those who want to grab a bite or drink before or after their show. The only (small) downside is finding parking. We parked in an outdoor lot 2 blocks away for $20. It is about the average rate for the area but still seems steep to me for a 2 hour show. *breathe* Trying to not sweat the small stuff, so I say pay for the steep parking and enjoy the gorgeous theater and watch a nice show! It will be worth the experience.

Gorgeous theatre, nicely preserved, and a great place to see some theatre, music, opera, et al. I…read morevisited one night to see an opera, and really had a great time. Sure, it was nice that the opera was NOT nine hours long, but that's me. Your mileage may vary. The outside of the building blends in so well to its surroundings, you may not notice it at first. But, the California Theatre is easy to find, and perfect to walk to from parking or a restaurant. Even in the entrance way before you walk in (where there's the Box Office for will-call or day-of tickets), you see the elegance and grandeur that awaits. Still, there's nothing stuff about it at all. Every staff member or volunteer I encountered was helpful, friendly, and welcoming. There happened to be live music in the Lobby before and after the performance. Refreshments are found on each floor. We had Orchestra Seats. The opera looked and sounded crisp. The singing, the set, the orchestra, the costumes all radiated excitement and serious fun. This particular opera, by Bela Bartok, is rarely done and having some familiarity with the composer, I was excited to check it out. Very much enjoyed the opera, and the venue. If you are an SJSU student, ask about tickets and/or big discounts available at the Box Office.

I sent my niece to Robert jones junior theater so that she could make friends. Though they were a…read morelot of kids, most of them were hostile and mean. The casting is biased, most kids lack the basic talent and singing ability for the roles they were given. My niece came home crying multiple times. Not all of the kids had a fair chance and many felt left out. Jen is an awful director, she clearly hates children. As for the rest of them, had niece had good things to say. But the program is crooked, unfair, and clearly biased.

This review is for the Imagine Me class by the city of Santa Clara. The class was the quality of a…read morepreschool drop in. Barely any props and they only acted in the last 3 minutes. The plays were simple like goldilocks. Most of the class was the teacher telling the kids to be quite and to sit down and reading the play out twice. I may have had bad luck because it was apparent some parents used this class to drop off their very loud and misbehaving kids and run off. Mine was the youngest but was very serious about acting. Even if it were not for the kids who didn't really want to be there, the class itself was just very basic and disappointing. I also could not get a refund we ended up just not going as it was not worth it. My message to the theatre. some youngers kids are really passionate about this and if given the opportunity will shine. You can start with a selection process or a more advanced class for younger kids

A great venue and very nice management!! We had several…read moreperformances at this venue and tony ,sean and Andy did everything to make our experience as smooth and easy as possible, working with these gentlemen was a great experience.

From the owner: The Visual Performing Arts Center (VPAC) Theater is a 400-seat theater available for rent to the…read morelocal community. This theater offers top audio, video, and lighting capabilities for a variety of different performances including dances, orchestras, concerts, theatrical plays, and presentations.